This Combo Breaker was another great experience, if you decide to see what the community has to offer. This is probably one of the greatest events to go to. Everyone is friendly, there are games for everyone (and I mean EVERYONE),there's also the cosplay aspect of these events (it doesn't matter if it's from a fighting game or not, look cool, be cool, come through!) as well as an amazing fully stacked Artists Alley. TheHadou has once again developed, crafted and bought together, with the help of an extremely large number of community members one heck of an event, showing what this community truly is.
Combo Breaker Merch stall stays busy as always.
I think if I were to describe what this year gave me, it would be the holiday I had planned nearly 4 or 5 years ago. My first NA FGC event, hanging with the boys from discord, playing games in person and vibing. This isn't to say that every trip to CB hasn't been amazing and each event a unique experience. But this year I had zero obligations to take photos. And when I found out I left a small piece of pretty essential equipment to hook my cameras up to my harness, this had turned into that holiday I had imagined all those years ago.
Tasty Steve taking the time to chat with attendees whenever possible.
With that said, some habits shouldn't change, I tried to run with two camera bodies but with no harness it's pretty impossible to do, so I opted for just the one. Luckily, I've taken to packing a sling/bum bag these days and it was big enough to hold a 70-200. Was it ideal? No. Was it easy to swap lenses? Surprisingly easy enough! Would I want to do that again? Only if I absolutely had to. What it has shown me though, aside from enjoying my time perusing the event is that I really want to try holsters instead of harness. Years of overloading messenger bags have ruined my shoulders and neck. Being able to carry cameras more easily without breaking myself is slowly becoming a bigger priority, especially as time doesn't stop for any of us.
When I say games for everyone, there's even Neo Turf Masters for the golfers.
So the take away from this trip for me is - be flexible, double check your packing list, check the equipment you're packing and if at all possible dry run the setup before you leave. I could have crashed out and ruined my own experience of the event, but being able to pivot and accept what has happened is a big thing. Would I have done the same if this was a paid opportunity? Probably not, but it is why every experience is a learning one.
The photos I did take, almost definitely do not show how amazing this event is. For that, please look to CB's socials (X and Instagram) and the media team that worked and covered the event. They are some of the best in this space and I will always sing their praises. But if you want to see what pictures I did manage to take, you can see the full album here - Combo Breaker 2026
Taste Victory, come to Combo Breaker
